


Finding your spark - 22 again

by BanditHallows



Category: Soul (2020)
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hope vs. Despair, Hurt/Comfort, finding the spark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-31
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:27:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28458279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BanditHallows/pseuds/BanditHallows
Summary: Round about 12 years after Joe Gardner had so involuntarily traveled to the Great Before, he is faced with and challenged by a new student in his class - Joy. Who, quite contrary to her name, isn't that joyful at all, but rather... lost. Just another lost soul. A story about how Joe and 22 get to meet again, but only this time in real life. Will they manage the impossible again? Will they be able to find 22/Joy's spark again?
Comments: 10
Kudos: 33





	Finding your spark - 22 again

**Author's Note:**

> Just to avoid confusion: As an unborn soul, 22 was neither male nor female, that's why I refer to 22 as "they" in the first paragraphs

As Joe Gardner swung his legs out of bed that very morning, he could already feel his weary bones ache long before he heard his joints crack loudly in protest of having to leave the warm bad at such a rueful hour.  
Maybe his mother was right, maybe it really was time to think about retirement after all, he mused, for he surely wasn’t getting any younger.  
But after twisting his spine back and forth, turning left and right until he heard a second, seemingly sufficient crack, his view fell on the many pictures that decorated his wall.  
Focusing on none of them peculiarly, he allowed himself to sway in memories for some seconds, a fond smile gracing his absent minded face.  
The pictures showed a wild assembly of kids. _His_ kids. His _band_ kids, spanning throughout their entire “careers“: A kid playing the drums for the first time - his eyes twinkling brighter than the ceiling lights, the entire band during their first county competition - all dressed up, some looking more nervous than the others (and some uniforms being more complete than others), but also pictures of his “graduates“ playing on the big stages, news paper articles, really anything he could find about his fosterlings.

It has been 12 years since he had so involuntarily traveled to the Great Before, lost his body to live as a cat, got back in his body just lost his life again and then finally got to start living.  
_Really_ living, that is.  
This adventure had been followed by a rough couple of months afterwards, readjusting to life, pondering day after day on what to do next. There were times he felt like a great failure and times he felt like a great philosopher, wandering the city day and night, just walking and star gazing, questioning himself… Was his spark really music after all? He loved music, that was for sure, nobody could ever deny that, even his blood kept swirling in his body in its own, thrilling tune.  
But helping 22 navigate through their dull and lifeless mind into a bright and sparkling world… seeing them come to life, accepting their spark, accompanying them to their new life on earth - that moment, that very moment, was magical. So magical, that in fact, he had finally and after ages of considerations, decided he wanted more of those moments. Moments, when he could inspire people, when he could help young minds find their spark, their will to live, their joy of living by sharing his stories. By sharing his own spark.

Letting go of the gigs with Dorothea Williams had been fairly easy for him, unnecessarily chasing the ocean while drowning in his own plain everyday water had continuously worn him out anyways.  
The steps that followed his decision though, they had been a a lot harder:  
Much to his mother’s approval, he continued his job as a band teacher, though only half-day. During the remaining hours he went back to college, studied. To become a real teacher, with social studies, child psychology, pedagogics and everything.  
Being faced with 22’s breakdown, their insecurities and self doubt, seeing 22 becoming a lost soul had shown him how little he was prepared for all the troubles and critical situations the teaching job would be accompanied by. And, after all, he wanted to become the best teacher (or as in the Great Before, the best mentor) he could possibly be.  
He wanted to be the kind of teacher, his kids could come to when feeling lost in life, when feeling they were not good enough or even a failure.  
He wanted to be the kind of teacher 22 raised him to be, to honor 22, their soft heart, their pure joy, their innocent views on the world wherever they may be.

Maybe his spark was finding other peoples’ sparks, he mused as he slowly entered the school building and felt a content smile creeping up on his face again.  
Even though he still was an hour early, he was already greeted by a handful of students standing in front of his classroom, waiting for him to open the door to their favorite break location.

Over the years of teaching, he had continued to build his own little Hall of Everything: every student, whether in his class or not, was encouraged to create a poster about their _spark,_ write about it, draw, decorate their presentation as they wished and then he proudly displayed each poster in his classroom for new students and other kids to browse through, ask questions, get in contact, find new friends and maybe be inspired to find their new spark as well.

Even though most students claimed to be “way too cool“ for those exhibitions, they would continue to sneak in his classroom before school, when feeling unobserved by the rest of the world, to have a look at the little exhibition.  
They had a silent agreement, Mr. Gardner and the _cool kids_ \- nobody would ever know about that. And also, never in a million years would he dare tell anybody who created the anonymous posters that from time to time happened to show up over night.

In all those years of teaching, his biggest goal was to create a safe haven for his kids, a place to be themselves, where nobody would judge or make fun of them. A place, that would further foster their spark. Even if it didn’t have anything to do with the original band class he was teaching at all, he still continuously found ways to fit those into his curriculums and assignments, so everyone could have their very own, special moment to shine.

Gradually, the seats in his classroom started filling, the other kids left for their classes, the hallways started ringing with laughter and screams and as the school came to life, so did Joe’s mind, already overflowing again with new assignments, challenges and opportunities for today’s lessons.

About ten minutes into the first of said lesson, however, his lecture was interrupted by two sharp knocks at the classroom door.  
He quickly exchanged a glance with the present kids, raising an eyebrow - a know at this time usually meant one thing: A student had slept in. Which in return meant only thing: He or she was supposed to bring an apology-cake for the next lesson - a fact that already lifted the mood of the entire room.

Sighing melodramatically, a smile defusing his rolling eyes, Joe Gardner opened his classroom door, expecting one of his tardy students to be apologetically grinning at him. But instead, he was greeted with the sight of a grimm looking girl he had never seen before.  
A slice of still warm pizza in hand, she angrily pushed past him into the classroom, heavily dropped herself in one of the benches furthest back she could find and yawned a sarcastic  
„Sorry I’m late, just really didn’t wanna come.“

**Author's Note:**

> Watching Soul, I completely fell in love with this movie and could not stop watching it ever since (seriously, I think I desperately need help).  
> Feeling so lost in this world, the feeling of never being good enough just hit too close to home and with 22's fear of living, Disney/Pixar touched such a sensitive yet important topic, I didn't want it to end there...  
> So, I hope you liked the first peek and I would really appreciate any reviews :)


End file.
